Pretty in Pink, the White House is lit for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The White House lit with pink lights.

WASHINGTON D.C. (CNN) - The image
of the White House lit at night is iconic to Washington, and Monday
evening another twist was added. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness
Month, the White House was bathed in pink lights.

The White House issued a presidential proclamation Monday morning, in
which President Barack Obama declared the month of October to be
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and encouraged "interested
groups to join in activities that will increase awareness of what
Americans can do to prevent breast cancer."

Last year alone the American Cancer Society estimated that over
230,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. In the president's
proclamation, the White House estimated that over 200,000 women would be
diagnosed with the disease in 2012.

"Breast cancer touches the lives of Americans from every background
and in every community across our nation," Obama's proclamation states,
"my administration remains committed to ensuring quality health care
that includes preventative services for women."

Obama's signature first-term legislation, the Affordable Healthcare
Act, altered many current insurance plans so that mammograms, along with
other cancer screenings, would be provided to individuals without
deductibles or co-pays.

The pink lights are in keeping with several other Breast Cancer
Awareness movements, including the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure,
whose famous pink ribbon icon is practically synonymous with breast
cancer prevention and fundraising efforts.

For more information on breast cancer, including prevention and treatment options, visit www.cancer.gov.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a place you don't give much thought to until you find yourself needing it. For Megan and Alex Thomas, of Mt. Washington, they now realize what a monumental job it is to try to save the littlest of lives.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a place you don't give much thought to until you find yourself needing it. For Megan and Alex Thomas, of Mt. Washington, they now realize what a monumental job it is to try to save the littlest of lives.